Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Lichens of Malham Tarn Fen

We're off to the woods today!

Allan Pentecost is leading the first of two introductory lichen days, as part of a series of introductory days run by the Lichen Society at FSC centres throughout the country - His second day will be 31 MarchToday I am one of his eight students. We set off through the cutting . (N.B. this page has not yet been checked by Allan)

Past the snowdrops at the cottages

to the boardwalk on the fen, and the side bridge at the inflow stream.

Parmelia saxatilis This foliose lichens has isidia on the older parts -( lots of tiny dark grey projections -)
and a coarse network of white lines on the younger parts
(click on the image to see a larger version)

Left: Parmelia sulcata This also has raised white lines, along which, on older parts, soralia may develop
It does not have isidia.
Right: Platismatia glauca -
This is only attached at one point, it is not flat on the bark,
so it is more like a shrubby lichen.
It is pollution tolerant.
The underside is dark and the thallus has frilly lobes.Platismatia contains a lot of a chemical called lichenin
- a starch similar to that found in bread -

Pollution -

I remember 30 years ago (oh so long!!) being told by Mark Seaward whilst looking at the same trees (but 30 years younger..) that the lichens we were finding could tolerate up to 60ppm sulphur dioxide pollution. Sulphur dioxide pollution in the past limited lichen growth - from the Lancashire milltowns 25 miles away (south) and Yorkshire mill towns 30 miles -Plus to the east. Thirty years ago we found only one patch pollution sensative Usnea on a birch tree. This time we looked hard and someone did find a tiny piece of Usnea - but not near the board walk, and I haven't got a picture of it.

On a side branch of a willow tree we find an early coloniser - Fuscidia lightfootii

Fuscidia lightfootii This has colonies that are usually less than the size of a 50p piece.
It is light green with dark fruiting bodies.
It is found on twigs and you branches in wet and boggy places especially in the south and west.

On the same trunk as Les is photgraphing we have Mycoblastus fucatus a grey crusotose lichen .
Now, is that the papery grey of patches 1a and 1b (note they have a few black apothecia)
or is it the more lumpy bluey grey of 2?

Next we follow the side stream about 20 yards and look at an area where the birch and willow scrub was removed about three years ago. We find not one but several species of Peltigera.

Peltigera

Peltigera are the only lichens that we find on the fen that have Cyanobacterai (Blue green algae) as the algal part of the lichen - all the other Lichens have green algae. Allan suggests this is because bluegreen algae tend to prefer less acid conditions - and the fen and peatbog are made of Peat - perhaps the parts where we find the Peltgera are lower down and growing on plants that receive more base rich groundwater.

There are two Peltigeras here. There one with a felty surface and one with a smooth surface.

Need to look at them with a hand lens or under a low power microscope to look at the rhizinae.

We found P praetextata, P hymenina, P horizontalis, P membrancea,.. but I still need to sort them out.

I think we could have had a whole day on Peltigeras!!

We found lots of different species of Cladonia:-

Cladonia fimbriata
That's the one in the centre of the picture,
on the left side of the trunk.

We had a brief visit to the peat bog proper - but by, was it cold!

then returned for lunch.- Hot soup and fresh sandwiches. Delicious.

Welcome Hot homemade soup back in Malham Tarn House.

In the afternoon we looked at our specimens .. and then ..... a guided tour of the lichens on the wall of the house... but that is for another blog post..

Subscribe To The Rainforest Fund, Settle

So far we have raised ..

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Jan-March 2018:£30

(Total for 2018: £30.00)

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December: £235 made up of £191 at Coffee morning - £127 for Coffee and cakes, £64 for cards; plus £10.50 from Cards sold at Settle Spinners and £20 from one person buying cards and £23.50 from other cards - Total for 2017: £557:

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Sep-Nov 2017: £32.50 including £19.50 from Green Christian JIE Conference and £13 from Cards at Growing with Grace (Total-£312)

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June - Aug 2017: £72.50 including £68 from the talk on "Wildflower Walks around Settle" (Total for 2017: £279.50)

In Dec 2012 - so far - £137 :£65 from Rainforest Coffee morning at church. The following is all from cards: £25.5 from sale of cards at coffee morning, and £25 from cards near coffee morning; : £8 at Langcliffe Inst, £13 Growing with grace £10-50 Wholesome Bee, (Total for 2012 = £712)

In June 2012: £40 : from sale of cards:£18 from people from Scargill House on my wildflowers walk and £16 from Age UK people at haymeadow talk (Total for 2012 = £370)

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In May 2012: £74 : including from cards (£14 from sale of cards at Taitlands Tea room at Stainforth; £15 from CCG meeting at Lower Winskill; £20 from Flowers course at Malham Tarn Field Centre; £17 (Total for 2012 = £330)

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In April 2012: £26: from cards (£15 from A Rocha group at Scargill House (Total for 2012 = £256)

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In March 2012: £130: from cards including £75 from Christian Ecology Link Conference at Bristol and £35 donation from Settle Spinners and £20 from Cards in the foyer at St John's (Total for 2012 = £230)

In Dec 2011: £240 including £90from cards including £32.50 from Langcliffe Inst Christmas Sale, £11-00 at WI pantomine, £20 from people at Settle Christmas Day Lunch and £150 donation (Total for 2011 = £1,000)

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In Nov 2011: £50: From cards including £19.50 from Scottish Dancing (Total for 2011 = £760)

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In Oct 2011: £110: From cards including £45 from Worsley Church and £50 from Settle Mothers Union (Total for 2011 = £710)

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In Sept 2011: £30: From cards (Total for 2011 = £600)

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In August 2011: £20: From cards (Total for 2011 = £570)_________________________

In July 2011: £50: From £36 donation form Settle Spinners, (£6-00 cards from Settle Spinners and £8.00 cards from others (Total for 2011 = £550)_________________________

In June 2011: £85: From the profit from the Saltaire Ladies group who came for salad tea at the church hall - £29 plus the cards they bought - £16.50; The Flowers course at Malham Tarn bought £26 of cards. (Total for 2011 = £500)_________________________In April- May 2011: £55 - From My saving buying food on "Live for a £1-00 a day week": £10; Rest from cards including 1 person at Scottish dancing £15 and people at Plantlife day: £16.50 (Total for 2011 = £415)_________________________

In March 2011: £145 - Mostly from sale of cards including:- £50 from CEL conference, £25 from Horton History Society, £26 from WYSOCS; Also a £20 donation (Total for 2011 = £360)_________________________

In Feb 2011: £65 - all from sale of cards including:- £26 from Austwick Field Society and £25 from Settle Gardening Club (Total for 2011 = £215)_________________________

Starting again..in 2011: £150 in by 31 January 2011 including £109 from the Barn Dance and £26 from cards_________________________

£2600 (£600 in 2010) by Dec 31 2010 - Mostly from Greeting cards, but also £32.21 from Settle Spinners and some from a donation._________________________

£2420 (£420 in 2010) by Sept 20 2010 - From the St John's Coffee Morning in August (£106) . Also from the sale of Greetings Cards, including £28 worth from people on courses at Malham Tarn Field Centre - Acrylics, Grasses, Settle Carlisle Line and Staff)_________________________

£2250 (£250 in 2010) by June 30 2010 - Mostly from the sale of Greetings Cards, including £20 worth from people at "Folk at the Falcon" and £30 from one lady who came to the NISCU evening, and £20 donation from people who came on the Environment Sunday Walk._________________________

£2125 (£125 in 2010) by March 31 2010 - including £100 from sale of Greetings Cards and Calendars and another £25 from collection by Settle Spinning Club

_________________________Nov - December 31st 2009 - including sale of Christmas Cards and Calendars

(Total for 2009 = £567 )_________________________Sep-October 2009 - £60-00:- £52 donations at Day of Prayer on 4 Oct. £8-00 from energy meter and sale of cards

(Total for 2009 = £450)_________________________May-August 2009: £68 - £40 from cards from Choir from Dewsbury, £8-00 from profit on sale of tweezers and lenses, £10- from part of Burton in Lonsdale Ceilidh money, £8-00 sale of cards

(Total for 2009 = £47) _________________________£1433 by December 29th 2008 - including £70 from Settle WI£14 from selling Speaking Tips Booklets£70 from selling home-made Christmas cards_________________________£1279 by November 29th 2008- including £25 from a Langcliffe Singer Lady who is giving it to World Land Trust to a relation as a Christmas Present; £35 from Langcliffe Singers; and donations from a couple for receiving computing tuition_________________________£1172 by October 29th- 2008 including £50 made up from donations from 6 people who borrowed the Owl monitor, and an individual donation for £50 - Thanks._________________________£1050 by September 29th 2008 includingover £100 from the "Addingham Friendly Hour" minibus trip where we made them tea)_________________________£920 by July 29th -2008- includinga donation of £4 by a person borrowing an OWL meter - (for monitoring electricity usage)_________________________£883 by June 20th 2008- includinga donation of £100 for Cool Earth by Settle Line Dance Class at the Church Hall and £10 as the first donation online for Cool Earth, and two other donations._________________________£752 by May 20th 2008 includinga donation of £100 for World Land Trust by a family who donated half an acre of land (£25) for each of their four nephews and nieces, who received certificates._________________________£652 by April 19th 2008- includinga donation of £65 from the group who came for coffee_________________________£587 by April 14th 2008- including£160 for A Rocha Ghana£312 for World Land Trust (including £25 online donation and £30 from Scottish Country Dancing at the Hall£115 for Cool Earth_________________________£467 by April 5th 2008- including£110 for A Rocha Ghana£292 for World Land Trust (including £25 online donation and £30 from Scottish Country Dancing at the Hall£65 for Cool Earth_________________________

£392 by March 9th 2008- including£90 for A Rocha Ghana£237 for World Land Trust£65 for Cool Earth_________________________

£295 by February 9th 2008£80 for A Rocha Ghana and£215 for World Land Trust (which will buy 4 acres of forest.)